Men's Club - Annual Sportsman's Dinner

Few Events surpass St. Nicholas Men's Club
soiree
by Jack Matheson (2000)

So, what what would you think Nick Mickloski and Scott Koskie have in common?
Not a thing, you might suggest.

Nick Mickloski has reached the social twilight years, I'd say the late 60s
and that may be giving good old Nicko the benefit of the doubt. He used to
be a pretty fair hockey player, here and there, with the proper skills and
smarts and an outstanding personality, take my word for it. He turned to golf
and wound-up pretty much owning Elmhurst Country Club, if not the whole province.

Scott Koskie, meanwhile, is a handsome young dude, well over six-feet and
has 'athlete' written all over him. It so happens he's one of the best volleyball
players in the world, having represented Canada hither and yon. if he was
so inclined, he could make a bundle as a male model or a movie star, but that's
another story.

Well, then, what's the big deal? Easy, Nick and Scott are both of Ukrainian
descent, for one thing, and they've both been saluted as Manitoba's Ukrainian
Sportsman of the year. Let's hear it, loud and clear.

There is one small distinct difference. Mickloski was the very first, back
in 1967, and Koskie is the baby of the bunch, having been suitably enshrined
for the year 2000 just the other night. In the meantime, St. Nick's Men's
Club has made heroes out of enough Ukrainians to fill a fair-sized hall.

Space doesn't allow me to list them all, but they've been a worthy group
indeed. Hockey has supplied good guys like Billy Mozienko, naturally, and
Billy Juzda, The Beast, and Dale Hawerchuk. Curling has been represented by
Orest Meleschuk, the one and only Big O, Kerry Burtnyk (twice), and Hal Tanasichuk.
Footballers like Gene Lakusiak, Denny Hrycaiko, Bud Korchak and Steve Patrick
are listed, definitely.

Not to forget one of the great guys, Julie Klymkiw, who was a backup NHL
goalie, and suds salesman and one of the hardest workers at St. Nick's. Which
brings up today's topic, which is the St. Nick's Dinner, and Julie was well
worth a standing ovation, this time when he showed up after a terrible, debilitating
illness. It's like I told Julie, it wasn't the same without Cactus Jack, but
when Julie showed up, he made my night.

I know what most of my vast (?) audience will want to know. What's the big
thing with a bun feed? Once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Well, not
exactly. The St. Nick's Dinner, which has been held every May or June for
the last 35 years, is different, that' s all. Okay, so it doesn't have the
posh of the Black and White Dinner (whatever that is) and it doesn't have
a cast of thousands like the YMHA Dinner, but St. Nick's has a flavour all
of its own.

The flavour isn't necessarily Ternopilski Holubtsi and Halycky Pyrohy, but
that doesn't hurt. When you're at the corner of Arlington and Bannnerman,
you eat what's in front of you, and it was terrific, and always has been.

I speak from experience, of course, because Wellsy and I were the only originals
around and if we missed more than a couple of the 35 reunions, I'd be surprised.

Here's the scene: It's always been in May or June, as I was saying, on a
Friday night; the doors open at 6:00 except that the joint is full by 6:05.
The downstairs hall handles 300 or so and by 6:15 you can't hear yourself
think. Naturally, the tinkling of glassed predominates.

Don't ask me what the guys, and the occasional gal, pay to get in. (I don't
and I have a certain amount of seniority.)

All I know for sure is that St. Nick's is always the gathering of the jock
clan. No other dinner in town attracts such a classy clientele from our sporting
community. For instance, the latest edition had wheels from the Bombers, the
Moose, the Goldeyes, the Thunder, and I have it on good authority that these
guys wouldn't miss St. Nick's.

The shindig we had on May 12 may or may not have been typical. All I do know
is that everybody had a ball and there was no word about anybody asking for
their money back. Huh, fat chance.

Father Christopher Zajac welcomed the assembled gang; yours truly remembered
Cactus Jack for about the 37th time here and there; Steve Vogelsang of CKY-TV
did a helluva job as MC; Bob Picken filling in for an ailing Knuckles (Bob
Irving)O called Scott Koskie up to join the ranks of the exalted; Paul Robson
introduced the guest speaker, Lyle Bauer of the Bombers; and that was only
the icing on the cake.

Naturally, the honchos from the St. Nick's Men's Club, like Lennnie Kozak
and Peter Kwasny, were involved. We also listened to Mark Chipman of the Moose,
Sam Katz of the Goldeyes and a nice young man from the basketball Thunder
and I wish I could remember his name. Like I was saying, everybody shows up
at St. Nick's.

Another nice touch was old Bombers like K.P. and Polish Joe (Lenny Ploen
and Joe Poplawski) were introduced, so was Mitch Zalnasky, who were good guys
like George Ullytat and Gene Hnatiuk, and it was worth noting that Orest Meleschuk
was the only winner from away back who keeps showing up. Good for "O".

Which is enough of today's topic. Just put it this way, if you can make it
at St. Nick's, you can make it anywhere. With apologies to Old Blue Eyes,
of course.